1.This Regulation shall not apply to Malta and Cyprus for as long as no gas is supplied on their respective territories. For Malta and Cyprus the obligations laid down in, and the choices those Member States are entitled to make pursuant to, the following provisions shall be fulfilled and made within the specified time calculated from the date when gas is first supplied on their respective territories:
(a)for point 5 of Article 2, Article 3(2), Article 7(5) and point (a) of Article 14(6): 12 months;
(b)for Article 6(1): 18 months;
(c)for Article 8(7): 24 months;
(d)for Article 5(4): 36 months;
(e)for Article 5(1): 48 months.
In order to fulfil the obligation contained in Article 5(1), Malta and Cyprus may apply the provisions contained in Article 5(2), including by using non-market-based demand-side measures.
2.Obligations related to the work of the risk groups set out in Articles 7 and 8 with regard to the Southern Gas Corridor and Eastern Mediterranean risk groups shall start to apply from the date when the major infrastructure/pipeline enters the test operation.
3.For as long as Sweden has access to gas via interconnections exclusively from Denmark as its only source of gas and its only possible provider of solidarity, Denmark and Sweden shall be exempted from the obligation in Article 13(10) to conclude technical, legal and financial arrangements for the purpose of Sweden providing solidarity to Denmark. This shall not affect the obligation of Denmark to provide solidarity and to conclude the necessary technical, legal and financial arrangements to that effect pursuant to Article 13.